Avro Energy reviews: Give your feedback

Telegraph_Sam

This is very much my own pet hate also.  When you do the exact number crunching the actual "savings" quoted by most if not all of the search engines (MSE is no exception!) are pretty illusionary and where they are based on "facts" they usually assume that you are intending to switch to the standard variable rate, which no self respecting reader of threads like this would dream of doing. There is no end of other tweaks (loyalty bonuses ..) which may or may not be taken into account. As Consumerist says there is no substitute for doing your own calculations and taking anything else with a (large) pinch of salt.

Gerry1

Telegraph_Sam said:

When you do the exact number crunching the actual "savings" quoted by most if not all of the search engines (MSE is no exception!) are pretty illusionary and where they are based on "facts" they usually assume that you are intending to switch to the standard variable rate, which no self respecting reader of threads like this would dream of doing.

This is Ofgem's fault because that's the crazy system that they've specified.  MSE's CEC defaults to showing genuine savings, but it complies with Ofgem's madness by also offering that as an option.

Consumerist

Telegraph_Sam said:

. . . When you do the exact number crunching the actual "savings" quoted by most if not all of the search engines (MSE is no exception!) are pretty illusionary and where they are based on "facts" they usually assume that you are intending to switch to the standard variable rate, which no self respecting reader of threads like this would dream of doing.

In that respect I find CEC more reliable because you can set up the comparison to be based on (1) a year on your current tariff or (2) a year on your supplier's "go to" tariff when a fix ends. I've found the savings quoted by MSE match my own calculations based on the consumption figures they use for the comparison.

Nebulous2

I've just renewed. I didn't see much reduction in the kWh costs, and a slight increase in the daily charge,  but my monthly DD has dropped by £5. 

More an indication that I was paying too much last year than of any savings made.

Talldave

notional said:

On Avro's website, in the About Us page, they use the word simplistic incorrectly twice.  Simplistic means OVER simplified, ie it's a negative word. I also feel that the images on the website are just cheapskate stock photos and don't reflect diversity.

They just come across as stupid.

In the stupid stakes, they've got tough competition from Symbio who have a similarly naff website and struggle with English grammar. Symbio can't do maths either, which makes the bills entertaining and a flaw in their billing system gives away free electricity. There's a long way down for Avro yet!!

PlymTim

Great no issues switch both  in and away from Avro

Consumerist

Nebulous2 said:

I've just renewed. I didn't see much reduction in the kWh costs, and a slight increase in the daily charge,  but my monthly DD has dropped by £5. 
More an indication that I was paying too much last year than of any savings made.

Because you are likely to use several thousand kWh in a year, a slight reduction in these costs can make a significant difference to the yearly total charges. If you were paying too much last year you should have also built up a credit balance which may also account for the reduction in DDs.

polymaff

Nebulous2 said:

I've just renewed. I didn't see much reduction in the kWh costs, and a slight increase in the daily charge,  but my monthly DD has dropped by £5. 

More an indication that I was paying too much last year than of any savings made.

If your unit rates and/or standing charges have changed then you've switched tariff rather than renewed.  As such, it would be likely that your monthly DD would change to reflect the new tariff.

That said, even those of us who have only renewed have seen slight tweeks in their monthly DD, some down, others (like me) up.

The monthly DD is, after all, a rather blunt instrument...

Nebulous2

polymaff said:

Nebulous2 said:

I've just renewed. I didn't see much reduction in the kWh costs, and a slight increase in the daily charge,  but my monthly DD has dropped by £5. 

More an indication that I was paying too much last year than of any savings made.

If your unit rates and/or standing charges have changed then you've switched tariff rather than renewed.  As such, it would be likely that your monthly DD would change to reflect the new tariff.

That said, even those of us who have only renewed have seen slight tweeks in their monthly DD, some down, others (like me) up.

The monthly DD is, after all, a rather blunt instrument...

That may be semantics. Avro changes tariffs so often it is unlikely anyone could renew on the same terms. My email from them says “Thank you for renewing” and the attached letter is called “renewal letter.” 

You’re right about the DD being a blunt instrument however. I’ve consistently paid more with Avro than I should. I’ve twice had a refund, never volunteered, I’ve always had to ask for it, but despite a moderate delay it has always been forthcoming. 

My house is quite well insulated and gets a lot of solar energy from sunlight, which means there is a large difference in costs. Very little heating April to September and a lot in Dec to Feb. Still going from £72 to £67 feels like a win, even though it is my own money. 

Consumerist

Nebulous2 said:

. . . I’ve consistently paid more with Avro than I should. I’ve twice had a refund, never volunteered, I’ve always had to ask for it, but despite a moderate delay it has always been forthcoming.

I reckon that's the small price we pay for competitive rates. I'm happy to live with a little inconvenience if I am saving a lot.